"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin."
-- Linus van Pelt in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Congestion Pricing

This may not interest my rural/suburban readers, but the New York City Council has approved the mayor's congestion pricing proposal, which now needs final approval by the state legislature. This would "charge drivers with an E-ZPass $8 a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those drivers would also receive a credit for bridge or tunnel tolls they paid on the same day. Drivers without an E-ZPass would pay $9 and would not receive credit for tolls" and it would also "qualify [the city] for $354 million in federal grants for mass transit improvements." It's all part of the city's PLANYC 2030 proposal, and has been pretty controversial.

I personally believe the costs outweigh the negatives, but I don't own a car, so maybe my opinion doesn't count.

[UPDATE: A comment on that article that raises a fair point: "You know, this system works great in London, but THEY HAVE A SAFETY NET LIKE HEALTH CARE FOR THEIR CITIZENS!!" Fair enough, NYC isn't London. But do any of the critics have a better proposal? If so, now's the time to speak up, and speak loudly.]